Module Information

Course Delivery

Delivery Type

Delivery length / details

Lecture

10 x 2 hours lecture

Seminars / Tutorials

1 x 2 hour seminar

Workload Breakdown

(Every 10 credits carries a notional student workload of 100 hours).
No. of hours of lectures: 20.
No. of hours of seminars: 2.
No of hours of independent study, essay-writing and preparing for the end-of-year assessment: 178.
TOTAL 200.

Assessment

Assessment Type

Assessment length / details

Proportion

Semester Assessment

2000 word essay

40%

Semester Exam

2 Hours
Examination

60%

Supplementary Exam

2 Hours
If students fail the module overall, any failed component must be re-sat or determined as the Examination Board sees fit.

100%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate thorough understanding of the psychological methods used to research language development in infants, toddlers and young children.

2. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the cognitive mechanisms underpinning the development of communication and language in humans.

3. Critically evaluate contemporary theories of lexical acquisition.

4. Identify and explain the cognitive underpinnings of language disorders.

Aims

Language is central to human cognition as well as being unique to our species. Knowledge of the cognitive/socio-cognitive mechanisms underpinning language acquisition is therefore pivotal to understanding human development more broadly. This module is both theoretical and applied in nature, as it teaches about the methods involved in using psychometric tests to assess language skills in toddlers, children and adolescents, as well as theory. Learning how to interpret standardised psychometric test scores within the context of population and age is a highly valuable and transferrable research skill.

Brief description

The module will look at pre-verbal communication in infancy and the development of verbal communication during toddlerhood. It will cover major and contemporary theories of lexical acquisition, and teach about the nature and application of psychometric testing in the assessment of language. The module will also take a look at developmental disorders of language, and how language research is conducted when typical and clinical populations are compared.

Content

Psychological research methods in child language development.

Preverbal communication: Developmental milestones.

Major and contemporary theories of lexical acquisition.

Psychometric testing of language skills.

Developmental disorders of language.

Comparisons of typical and clinical populations in language research.

Module Skills

Skills Type

Skills details

Application of Number

Students will learn how to score a psychometric test of language, which involves application of numerical knowledge. In addition, the in-depth study of scientific articles and relevant research outcomes will require students to apply their understanding of statistics, thus enhancing these skills.

Communication

The essay and the exam, will engage students in thinking about how to best summarise, evaluate and present their findings following literature reviews in written form.

Improving own Learning and Performance

Throughout the module students will be stimulated to develop their own taking on published research and theory in child language. Further developing analytical skills will contribute to students’ intellectual development and performance in examinations.

The module's coursework components will further develop students' communication and time-management skills. In addition, learning how to administer, score and evaluate psychometric tests will provide students with a highly valuable and transferable skill that has applications in educational and clinical settings, as well as in private sector employment.

Problem solving

Problem solving and developing analytical, independent intellectual thinking are key goals of this module. Throughout the module students will be encouraged to think critically about the ways in which psychologists have gone about researching language development in young children, and about the ways in which methods used in particular studies could have been improved.

Research skills

The essay will reflect students' independent research skills, including reviewing literatures and the use of psychology and medical databases (e.g. PsycArticles; Pubmed).

Subject Specific Skills

A unique component of this module is the learning of how to use psychometric tests, particularly when comparing clinical and typical populations within research contexts.

Team work

The seminar involves group discussions on the use and scoring of psychometric tests.